Book a stay at our surf camp in Hossegor if you’re more than happy with beautiful weather, epic waves and freshly baked baguettes in the Southwest of France. If you’d prefer to surf a wave that’s a little… errr… weird, check out the following article.
In part one of this article we took you on a tour to a tidal bore in Indonesia, an urban wave in Bavaria’s capital and a once-in-a-lifetime righthander that breaks in the mouth of Australia’s Tweed River. In this article, the team here at Southwest Surf House have ramped up the weirdness with the inclusion of three more strange waves from around the world.
One of these oddities is another tidal bore, except this time we’re a little further north in the Land of the Red Dragon. Another will have you dodging ice blocks in the lineup the size of an industrial fridge. The third is probably the only river wave that you can get barrelled on… the downside being that you’re likely to be dropped in on by an 11-foot plus crocodile.
Locals, right?
4. Silver Dragon, Qiantang River, China
Known as the Silver Dragon, the Qiantang tidal bore forms when larger than average tides (such as those on a full moon) send water surging towards the mouth of a narrow, shallow river. Creating waves that reach heights of up to 9 metres and move at around 40 km per hour.
The first person to ever tame the Silver Dragon was an Englishman by the name of Stuart Matthews who successfully caught a wave and surfed it for 1.9 kilometres. This leg burning effort was then eclipsed by Frenchman Patrick Audoy and Brazilian Eduardo Bagé, who rode one wave continuously for 17 kilometres, which is about 1 hour 10 minutes on the stopwatch.
More recently the Silver Dragon played host to the Red Bull sponsored Qiantang Shootout. With the aim to introduce surfing to the Chinese populace and create some seriously unique content in the process.
5. Lake Superior, Michigan, USA
If deadly currents, gale force winds and frigid conditions sound like your idea of the perfect surf adventure, then perhaps a trip to Michigan’s Lake Superior will be right up your alley.
Located on the border between Canada and the States, Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes complex and the world’s biggest freshwater lake by surface area. As such it resembles more of an inland ocean than an actual lake. With storms generating waves that on rare occasions can also reach heights of 9 metres plus.
Water temps bottom out at 2˚C and the fact there’s almost zero salt means buoyancy is an issue. As such, surfers will need a whole lotta neoprene to stay warm plus a board with some extra litreage to stay afloat. At least the massive lake surfing community that live here will give you a warm welcome. Probably not as warm as our surf camp in Hossegor though.
Are these conditions really worth it just to say you surfed one of the weirdest waves in the world? Well, we’re not sure, but at least it’s a story to tell your grandkids. That is… if you don’t freeze to death on the paddle out or hit one of those boulder-size chunks of ice that are bobbing in the lineup.
6. Rapid 11, Zambezi River, Tanzania
Long since regarded as the only consistently barrelling river wave in the world, Rapid 11 on the Zambezi River in Tanzania is a true spectacle of nature. Materialising during periods of high flows, it offers surfers a chance to get tubed hundreds of kilometres from any ocean.
Not for the faint hearted, Rapid 11 has also garnered a lot of attention over the years for the hazards that come with surfing it. The amount of water moving through the narrow gap in the gorge where Rapid 11 sits is but one risk. With estimates putting it at 1,088 cubic meters of water per second or 625 million litres per minute.
Combine this incredible flow with the sheer amount of hungry crocodiles that wait on the riverbanks for a taste of fiberglass and flesh and Rapid 11 could well be called the sketchiest river wave in the world. Yep… we’re quite happy to hang out at our surf camp in Hossegor, in case you were wondering.
Stick to perfect French beachbreaks and stinky cheese. Book a stay at our surf camp in Hossegor today